Roses in Flames

Xiao Wei leaned closer for a look.

Besides fragments of bird's nest, there were also some extremely fine off-white particles. These particles did not dissolve when they came into contact with the reagent; instead, they exhibited a unique texture.

Ye Yuntang narrowed her beautiful eyes and switched to a high-powered lens.

The final conclusion was that it was a type of beeswax.

The method the murderer used to poison her flashed through her mind.

……

Criminal Investigation Office.

Cheng Lei scratched his head, "This is really strange. The maid who delivered the bird's nest is not a suspect, and no one went near the bowl of bird's nest that Bai Chuwei drank. How was the poison put in? The bird's nest from the same batch was also tested, and it was all free of poison!"

Song Che rubbed his temples, looking troubled. "I checked all the guests who went to the back garden at the birthday banquet, and there was nothing suspicious."

Xiao Lin walked over and said to Cheng Lei in a deep voice, "Have you retrieved the surveillance footage from the Fu family's back garden for the last three days?"

Cheng Lei nodded. "It's been transferred."

Xiao Lin: "Put it on the big screen."

Cheng Lei did as instructed, and Xiao Lin pulled up a chair and sat down in front of the big screen.

The surveillance footage showed only half of the back of the rattan chair where Bai Chuwei had sat by the pool.

After watching the footage for three consecutive days, Cheng Lei and Song Che couldn't detect anything unusual.

"Boss, there's nothing unusual here. Could it be poison from a ghost?" Cheng Lei asked in horror.

Song Che glared at Cheng Lei. "Damn it, don't talk nonsense! We criminal investigators, how can we be superstitious?"

Xiao Lin stared coldly at the big screen with his dark eyes. "You two, stop arguing."

He closed his eyes, remained silent for a moment, then asked Cheng Lei to turn up the volume of the surveillance video. "Did you hear anything?"

Amidst the buzzing of electricity, there was the rustling of leaves in the wind and the chirping of birds.

"There's nothing unusual about the sound." Cheng Lei and Song Che looked at each other in bewilderment.

Xiao Lin stared sharply at the screen, his ears perked up, and he listened carefully to the sounds from the monitor again.

"The bird calls in the video are short and crisp," Xiao Lin narrowed his deep black eyes, "and in the surveillance footage from the three days before Bai Chuwei's accident, they all sounded precisely at 8 p.m.

Cheng Lei and Song Che quickly listened to it again.

"Indeed, boss, you're really amazing."

Xiao Lin's facial features were taut. "The same bird calls every day, arriving precisely at the same time. It's very likely that it's been trained."

Cheng Lei's eyes widened suddenly. "Boss, you mean the bird trainer had the birds poison it?"

Xiao Lin nodded. "Yes."

Just then, Ye Yuntang walked in with a report in his hand.

"Captain Xiao, I extracted beeswax from the bird's nest residue." Ye Yuntang handed the report to Xiao Lin. "The murderer didn't just sprinkle colchicine powder directly into the bird's nest. Instead, he mixed the poison with beeswax, boiled it into an extremely thin wax film, cut it into rice-grain-sized wax particles, and stuck them on the claws of the trained birds to administer the poison."

Cheng Lei gave Ye Yuntang a thumbs up, "Sister Yuntang, you're amazing! You're just like our boss!"

After glancing at the report, Xiao Lin ordered in a deep voice, "Immediately expand the scope of the investigation! First, check the surveillance footage around the Fu family manor for the past week, focusing on people who appear between 7 and 8 pm every night; second, investigate the bird training association to find people who have recently purchased colchicine or ordered miniature voice controllers; third, check all of Bai Chuwei's social networks to see if she has offended anyone in the bird training circle or has recently been in contact with such people."

Xiao Lin has been busy with business trips lately, and upon returning, he encountered Bai Chuwei's case again. He hasn't had enough rest, and his eyes are noticeably bloodshot, with a faint sense of fatigue emanating from his body.

"Boss, we'll go investigate. You go to your office and rest for a while," Cheng Lei said.

Xiao Lin nodded. "Thank you for your hard work."

After Cheng Lei and the others left, Xiao Lin looked at Ye Yuntang, his dark eyes unfathomable, his emotions unreadable, and said, "You've worked hard too."

"It's what I should do."

Without saying anything more, Ye Yuntang turned and left.

After staring at her back for a while, Xiao Lin went into his office.

Leaning back in the black leather chair, he raised his long finger and pressed it against his brow.

There was still a lot of work to be done, so he didn't rest.

Not long after, Ye Yuntang came over carrying a thermos.

"I heard from Lei Zi that you haven't slept for more than 30 hours. I just heated up some millet porridge in the cafeteria. Drink some while it's hot."

Ye Yuntang opened the lid, and inside, besides the millet porridge, there were two poached eggs.

Xiao Lin looked at Ye Yuntang, "Did you make this?"

Ye Yuntang nodded, "Yes, let's taste it and see how it is."

Xiao Lin picked it up and took a bite. "It's alright."

After entering the office, Xiao Lin unbuttoned the top two buttons of his police uniform collar, revealing a section of his long, taut neck. His Adam's apple bobbed up and down as he swallowed.

Ye Yuntang stared at him for a few seconds, then walked behind him. "Is your head bothering you? Let me massage it for you."

Before Xiao Lin could say anything, Ye Yuntang raised her hand and pressed her fingertips against his temple.

Her fingertips were slightly cool, her technique was steady, and her pressure was just right. She slowly circled his temples with her fingertips and then gently pressed along the veins in his temples.

With her pressing on me like that, the fatigue and soreness seemed to be relieved quite a bit.

Xiao Lin narrowed his dark eyes slightly. "You've learned this technique?"

Ye Yuntang's cool fingertips didn't stop, the pressure just right. "I'm a forensic doctor, so I know a little about how to relieve nervous fatigue."

Xiao Lin let out a low chuckle, "You're quite capable."

After he had recovered somewhat from his fatigue, she went to his desk. "Did you go to the hospital to see Bai Chuwei? How is she?"

"She's awake, but the baby is gone."

Ye Yuntang stared intently at Xiao Lin, as if trying to discern something from his eyes, but he was too deep and aloof, concealing all his emotions perfectly.

"Are you feeling heartbroken and sad?" Ye Yuntang asked.

Xiao Lin glanced at her. "Why would you ask that?"

Ye Yuntang raised an eyebrow. "After all, she was your ex-fiancée."

Xiao Lin's thin lips were pressed into a straight line, making him appear deep and cold.

Not wanting to make a fool of herself, Ye Yuntang turned around and prepared to leave.

But before he could take a step, his wrist suddenly tightened.

She was caught off guard and pulled into the man's arms, falling onto his strong, muscular thighs.

Ye Yuntang's heart skipped a beat.

She instinctively tried to stand up, but the man's large hand pressed down on her slender waist, rendering her unable to move.

Ye Yuntang looked at him with her long eyelashes fluttering slightly. "Are you crazy? This is your office. Anyone can walk in at any time."

She hadn't expected him to be so bold, daring to pull her into his arms in his office.

If others see this, it will have a negative impact.

Xiao Lin stared at her with his dark, unfathomable eyes. "Haven't you always been known for your boldness?"